Studio couch



Feb. 20, 1940. F ANDREWS 2,190,819

STUDIO coUcH Filed July 27, 1938.

Patented Feb.` 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE The present invention relates to improvements" in the type of seating and `bed structure commonly known as a studio couch, `and has for its main object to provide a structure of this class o wherein the lower and'inner bed memberyis projected automatically from its position beneath the main bed and Seating member of the structure upon releasing aretaining latch mechanism, saidprojection being eiected by a `tension spring `10` associated with a pair of lazy tong leverswhich connect the two component ira-me members of "the structure with each other and serve to main tain them in parallelrelation to each other and i also to limit the outward projection of the lower V*115 frame `or bed member.

The employment of a pair of lazy tong levers `in connection with a tension spring associated therewith to effect projection of a lower bed memj ber from `its position beneath themain seating and bed .memben is` not, per se,` novel in the art, but in the usual and substantially conventional structure of this `type itgis necessarytijor `the operator to maintain the retaining latch mechanism in released position while he impartsA A to the lower frame or bed member an outward push to start its outward movement. v

`The necessity forimparting this initial impulse to the lower bed member is due tothe fact that Vwhen the latter `is in` its innermost .andl latched position the tension` spring `disposed. almost axially parallel with the closely `folded lazy' tong levers and cannot overcome the resistance offered by the frctional resistance to movement offered by the lower bed member to start `the same toward its projectedposition. The use of a spring` strong enough to overcome this initialmresistance is` prohibitive because of the Subsequentispeed of the further projection .of the lower bedmemr ber.

o 40 The main object of` the present invention is,`

therefore, to provide simple and eflicient means `for so associating the said tension spring `with the respective bed members of the Structure as `to obviatethe necessity for imparting manually to the lower bed member a Starting' impulse toward Hits projected position and whereby the` spring will start and continue` the outward move- `ment of said lower bed` member upon electing release of `the retaining latch `mechanism here-l `inbefore referred to.

` A urther essential object of the invention is `to eiect an. operative `association of the Spring with the lazy tong levers and the main bed and seating member in Such a`.man ner as to enable 5 5`a relatively `light Spring to be employed and `invention is illustrated in drawing, wherein:

`thus avoid the high speed outward movement of means associated with the operating parts of .5

the structure for retarding the outwardtravel of f the lower bed member.

A Suitable and exemplaryembodiment of the the accompanying i `10 Fig. 1 is .a `planview loto. `studio couchcon- `structed in accordance `with `the invention, the `same being shown in its collapsed position.`

Fig; 2 is a view similar to Fignl showing the .structure in its extended position. l5

Fig. 3 is an end `elevation of `the same on an enlarged scale. v 1 l Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional :view

of the same taken on the line `ll-ll of Fig. 1.

The structure of the presentiinvention corn-glo prises ,a main frame I which may be designated .composed of suitable Structuralsteel units. The

customary mattress supporting structures of` the 30 frame .l and member# areiomitted `from illustrating as 'oonstitutingno` part `of the present in i vention. y f f i Secured to rthe rear 'rails of the frame l "and` `:the member# are longitudinally slotted guide 35 members 5 `and ii, `respectlvely,' which receive" projections 'l and 8;disposed uponfone end of each of the lazy tong levers Sl `and Iii, the latter being pivotally connected with each othermidway be` tween `their ends' by means of a rpvot member l l.`

`The other ends of said levers *.9 and lli are piv"" .Totally connected with brackets i2 and i3`m`ounted upon the rear rails of "the frame `l and memy `ber A, respectively.. The plane of the -`upper face of the frame of` 45 .the member 4 is vdisposed immediately below the plane of the lower edges of the` rails of the frame l, the latter being of greater dimensions between the front and rear rails than the memberA, inthe instance illustrated. `50 The `member Vil is also supported upon llegs i3 and lli as Shown in Fig. 3. t v

Secured to the lazy `tong leversi!` and l@ `between the pivot `pin .Il thereof and theends `of said levers connected with the member .4, is e named position,the said member 4 will be disposed in a position wherein its rear rail is disposed slightly forward of the front rail of the frame l. It will bel apparent, of course, that the members i and 8 may be equipped with antifriction rollers. v ,l

The-rear rail of the member l is equipped midway between its ends with an L-shaped bracket Il, the lower or horizontal arm of which extends forwardly into the path of the spring Iii and is equipped at its forward end with a saddle member i8 vto receive the middle portion of said spring it. l. f

A ypair of brackets i3 and 26 are mounted upon the levers .9 and lll adjacent to and, in the instance illustrated7 inwardly of the brackets 55.

` Said brackets I9 and Eil extend downwardly a the bracket El when the member 4 is disposed at the inner limit of `its movement.

The-dash-pot structure shown and` described is y -merely exemplary yof a suitable travel retarding means adapted tothe purpose.

A suitable type of latch device is employed to -maintain the structure in collapsed position Ashown in Fig. 1. In the instance illustrated the said latch mechanism comprises an arm or lever i'pivotally secured-at its rear end to one of the rearlegs 2 of the frame l. i Between its ends the ber 4 'to be projected to the forward limitof its Ymovement responsively to vthe `tension of the spring it-in an obvious` manner.

The said armor [lever 22 is bent between its Yends asindicated 'in Fig. 2 so that the shoulder '23` thereof will bedijspo'sed in the path of the vilange l25 ata point 'spaced from the similar jfiange of the adjacent end rail of the member 4,

the rearv legs lli oithe'member 4 being spaced :from theendrails thereof to avoid the inwardly kprojecting portion of the lever 22 as shown in Thelatch mechanism illustrated and described lis merelyexemplary `of a suitable'mechanism of this typeand may be replaced byV any other suitable type.

the position ofv Fig. 1.

were omitted and, further, the tension of the end portions of the spring is so exerted on the levers 9 and l0 when they are in collapsed position as to cause them to easily unfold and start the forward travel'of the member 4 the instant that the latch is released.

It will be noted that the spring IG is not greatly elongated while the lazy-tong levers are moved to the position wherein said spring first contacts the saddle member i9 and, further, that when said levers are in said last-named position, no appreciable degree of force is required to move them and the member 4 to the position shown in Fig. l, said spring i6 being, therefore, so light that the member 4 is not projected very forcibly to direction of exertion of the force of said spring which is transversely of the travel of the member 4.

The details of construction of the members l and 9 may be changed and varied as desired without departing from the invention as dened in and by the appended claims, the accompanying drawing beingy intended to illustrate only an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a structure of the type specified, includ- 4ing a main bed-frame, an auxiliary bed frame normallyl maintained housed by the main-frame, means connecting said frames for permitting the auxiliary frame to be projected outwardly from the mainframe and maintaining the said frames parallel witheach other, spring means connected with said'rst-named means for actuating the latter to effect outward projection of said auxiliary framamanually releasable latch meanson action ofvs'aid spring means, and a device on the main frame disposed lin the path of said spring means for engagement therewith as said auxiliary framev approaches the-,inner limit of its move- `ment forincreasing the effective force of said spring means to initiate outward projection of the auxiliary frame upon release of said latch means. y I

2. In a structure of thel type specified, including amain bed frame, an auxiliary bed frame normally maintained housed by the main frame,

means connecting said frames for permitting the auxiliary frame to be projected outwardly from themain frame and maintaining said frames -parallelwith each other, a single tension spring connectedv` with said means for maintaining the v.auxiliary frame normally at the outer limit of'.

its movement, a manually releasable spring-held latch means associated with said frames for ,maintaining they auxiliary frame at the inner limit of its movement against the action of said `of the latter during inward movement of said auxiliary frame and increasing the `normal maximum tension of said spring and also diverting the Ynormal direction of exertion of its force on said` means-for initiating outward movement of` said auxiliary frame vupon releasing the said latch means.

3. In a structure of the type specified, including almain bed frame, an auxiliary bed frame normally` maintained housed by the main frame,

y a pair of lazy-tong levers connecting said frames and maintaining the same parallel with each other at all` points in their'relative movement,

means associated with said lazy-tong levers for This is due partly to the limiting the relative movement of saidframes, a single tension spring connected with both said levers and normally disposed parallel with said frames and acting to maintain the auxiliary frame normally disposed at the outer limit of its movement, a member rigid with the main frame and disposed in the path of a point between the ends of said spring for distorting the latter -and increasing its tension while said auxiliary frame l is disposed at the inner limit of its movement and thereby causing diversion of the normal direcauxiliary frame, and a spring-held manually releasable latch mounted upon the main frame for automatic engagement with the auxiliary frame for maintaining the latter at its inner limitrof its movement against the action of said spring.

4. A structure of the kind specified comprising a main bed and seating member, a secondary bed member disposed below the first-named member and adapted `to be moved from a position entirely below and within the rst-named member to an exposed position outwardly thereof, a pair of lazy-tong levers operatively connecting said members to maintain them parallel with each other and which are collapsed when said secondary memberis disposed at the inner limit of its movement relatively to the rst-named member, a tension spring connected at its ends with said lazy-tong levers at points between their pivotal connection with each other and extremities thereof and acting to move said levers from collapsed to extended positions, a latch-means for retaining said second member'at the inner limit of its movement relatively to the firstnamed member with said lazy-tong levers co1- lapsed against the action of said spring, and a device on the first-named member disposed in the path of the middle portion of said spring for maintaining the same bowed when said levers are collapsed and thereby increasing the tension of said spring and the direction of the force thereof exerted on said levers for `promoting their initial movement from collapsed to extended position upon releasing said latch.

JOSEPH FRANKLIN ANDREWS. 

